1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roof assembly having a roof which includes a plurality of roof elements which are movable between a closed position in which the roof elements cover a passenger cabin of a vehicle and an opened position in which the roof elements are stored in a storage compartment of the vehicle lying above one another.
2. Background Art
JP 2306822 describes a roof having front and rear roof elements movable between closed and opened roof positions. The roof elements are rigid and are assembled so that their respective sides are turned toward one another with a small distance between them in the closed position, and impart a well-defined external roof contour to a flexible soft top material by acting like a type of large-area convertible top bow. The rear roof element is mounted on the vehicle body by a main guide bar system comprising front and rear main guide bars that form a first four-bar linkage. The front roof element is articulated to the rear roof element through a second four-bar linkage having front and rear guide rods. A coupling rod is between the rear guide rod of the second four-bar linkage and the rear main guide bar of the first four-bar linkage.
DE 100 06 296 C1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,622) describes a convertible vehicle roof having a front roof element, a middle (main) roof element, and a rear roof element movably connected with one another to move between the closed and opened positions. A main bearing assembly pivotally connects the middle roof element to the vehicle body with the aid of a four-bar linkage. The front roof element is also moved by a four-bar linkage. A rearmost roof element, having a horizontal roof section and an upright roof section, is connected to the rear roof element. When the roof is in the opened position, the rearmost roof element is located above the front roof element, the middle roof element is located below the front roof element, and the rear roof element is located below the middle roof element.
DE 44 41 666 C1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,821) describes a vehicle folding top movable between the closed and opened positions. The folding top includes a canopy framework and a cover having a rigid canopy section. The canopy section borders on a cross section of the windshield frame and is attached respectively to a front guide bar and a rear guide bar on its longitudinal sides, which are connected directly to the vehicle body or an intermediate guide bar. DE 196 22 953 C1 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,470) describes a similar design, namely a canopy section that stretches a soft top into a roof shaped position.
DE 100 41 487 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,857) describes a vehicle folding top having a foldaway rear window that is inserted into a frame. The rear window is flexibly joined to the vehicle body in a rear-facing region at about belt line height. Articulated levers are mounted on frames of the rear window and on tensioned convertible top bow to move the rear window.